"This unequivocal Supreme Court decision restores the integrity of an important murder conviction, and it sends a clear signal that the closure delivered to a family by a verdict should only be undone in exceptional circumstances," Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said in a statement. "This case did not present those circumstances, as the Court clearly noted.

According the Maryland Attorney General's office, Kulbicki’s attorneys were using the best information available, and employed an effective strategy for his defense, the Supreme Court wrote.

“As the Court’s ruling affirms, the Constitution’s sacred promise of effective representation for every defendant does not justify using the seductive lens of hindsight to second-guess trial and tactical decisions years after those judgments are made," Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah said in a statement.